Isaiah 1 | » |
1 The vision of Esai ye sonne of Amos, which he sawe vpon Iuda and Hierusalem, in the dayes of Uzia & Ioathan, Ahaz and Iehezekiah, kinges of Iuda.
2 Heare O heauens, and hearken O earth: for the Lorde hath spoken, I haue norished and brought vp children, and they haue done vnfaithfully against me.
3 The oxe hath knowen his owner, and the asse his maisters cribbe: [but] Israel hath not knowen, my people hath geuen no heede.
4 Ah sinnefull nation, a people laden with iniquitie, a seede of the wicked, corrupt children: they haue forsaken the Lorde, they haue prouoked the holy one of Israel vnto anger, they are gone backwarde.
5 Why shoulde ye be stricken any more? [for] ye are euer fallyng away: euery head is diseased, and euery heart heauy:
6 From the sole of the foote vnto the head there is nothyng sounde in it: [but] woundes, blaynes, and putrifiyng sore: they haue not ben salued, neither wrapped vp, neither molified with the oyntment.
7 Your lande is wasted, your cities are burnt vp, straungers deuour your lande before your face, and it is made desolate, as it were the destruction of enemies [in the tyme of warre.]
8 And the daughter of Sion shalbe left as a cotage in a vineyarde, lyke a lodge in a garden of Cucumbers, lyke a besieged citie.
9 Except the Lorde of hoastes had left vs a small remnaunt, we shoulde haue ben as Sodoma, & lyke vnto Gomorra.
10 Heare the worde of the Lord ye lordes of Sodoma, and hearken vnto the lawe of our God thou people of Gomorra.
11 Why offer ye so many sacrifices to me, wyll the Lorde say? I am full of the burnt offeringes of weathers, & of the fatnesse of fed beastes, I haue no pleasure in the blood of bullockes, lambes, and goates.
12 When ye come to appeare before me treadyng in my courtes, who hath required this at your handes?
13 Offer me no mo oblations, for it is but lost labour: incense is an abhominable thyng vnto me, I may not away with your newe moones, your sabbathes & solempne meetynges, your solempne assemblies are wicked.
14 I hate your newe moones and appoynted feastes euen from my very heart, they make me weery, I can not abyde them.
15 When you holde out your handes, I wyll turne myne eyes from you: and though ye make many prayers, yet I wyll heare nothyng at all, seyng your handes are full of blood.
16 Washe you, make you cleane, put away your euyll thoughtes out of my syght: ceasse from doyng of euyll,
17 Learne to do well, applie your selues to equitie, deliuer the oppressed, helpe the fatherlesse to his ryght, let the widdowes complaynt come before you:
18 And then go to, saith the Lorde, let vs talke together: though your sinnes be as red as scarlet, they shalbe as whyte as snowe: and though they were lyke purple, they shalbe as whyte as wooll.
19 If ye be wyllyng and obedient, ye shal eate the good of the lande:
20 But yf ye be obstinate and rebellious, ye shalbe deuoured with the sworde: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken [it.]
21 Howe happeneth it then that the righteous citie which was full of equitie, is become vnfaythfull as a whore? Righteousnesse dwelt in it, but nowe murtherers.
22 Thy siluer is turned to drosse, and thy wine mixt with water.
23 Thy princes are wicked, and companions of theeues: they loue gyftes altogether, and gape for rewardes: As for the fatherlesse they helpe hym not to his ryght, neither wyll they let the widdowes causes come before them.
24 Therfore saith the Lorde God of hoastes, the mightie one of Israel: Ah I must ease me of mine enemies, and auenge me of mine aduersaries:
25 And I shall lay my hande vpon thee, and purely purge away thy drosse, and take away all thy tinne:
26 And set thy iudges agayne as they were sometyme, and thy senatours as they were from the begynnyng: and then thou shalt be called the ryghteous citie, the faythfull citie.
27 Sion shalbe redeemed with equitie, and her conuertes with righteousnesse.
28 But the transgressours, and the vngodly, and such as forsake the Lorde, shall altogether be vtterly destroyed.
29 For ye shalbe confounded for the trees which ye haue desired: and ye shalbe ashamed of the gardens that ye haue chosen.
30 For ye shalbe as a tree whose leaues are fallen away, and as a garden that hath no moystnesse.
31 And the very strong one [of your idols] shalbe as towe, and the maker of it as a sparke [of fire] and they shal both burne together, and no man quenche them.
The Bishop’s Bible (BB)
The Bishop’s Bible (BB) is a significant English translation of the Bible that was first published in 1568 during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. It was commissioned by the Church of England as a revision of the Great Bible and as a response to the Geneva Bible, which was popular among the Puritans but contained marginal notes that were considered politically and theologically contentious by the Anglican establishment. The primary goal of the Bishop’ s Bible was to create a translation that would be more acceptable to the ecclesiastical authorities and suitable for use in Anglican churches.
One of the distinguishing features of the Bishop’s Bible is its effort to maintain a high level of accuracy and scholarly integrity while also ensuring that the language used was dignified and appropriate for public reading. The translation was undertaken by a team of bishops and other scholars, hence its name. The translators aimed to preserve the poetic and literary qualities of the original texts, drawing on previous translations such as the Tyndale Bible, the Coverdale Bible, and the Great Bible, while also incorporating their scholarly insights and linguistic refinements.
The Bishop’s Bible was notable for its large, folio format, which was designed to be read from the pulpit. It included extensive marginal notes, though these were more restrained and less controversial than those found in the Geneva Bible. The translation also featured elaborate illustrations and maps, as well as a comprehensive introduction and various prefaces that provided context and guidance for readers. Despite its grandeur and scholarly merit, the Bishop’s Bible did not achieve the widespread popularity of the Geneva Bible among the general populace.
Although the Bishop’s Bible played an essential role in the religious and cultural life of Elizabethan England, it was eventually overshadowed by the King James Version (KJV), which was commissioned in 1604 and published in 1611. The KJV drew heavily on the Bishop’ s Bible, as well as other earlier translations, but ultimately surpassed it in both scholarly rigor and literary quality. Nonetheless, the Bishop’s Bible remains an important milestone in the history of English Bible translations, reflecting the theological and political currents of its time and contributing to the development of subsequent translations.